Why having a good product isn’t good enough.

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_single_image image="2438" border_color="grey" img_link_large="" img_link_target="_self" img_size="large" alignment="center"][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_column_text]Most startups end in failure.
Businesses today have a solid understanding of how to create a great product, but when it comes to getting customers, they are lost on what to do. Enter, Traction.

Gabriel Weinburg and Justin Mares's new bestseller “Traction: A Start-Ups Guide to Getting Customers” explains the number one reason Start Up's fail, and outlines a step by step solution.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column][vc_separator color="grey" align="align_center"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/4"][vc_column_text]They explain that no matter how good your product is, if people don’t know about you, you will not be successful. Building a product is only half the battle, the next step is getting people interested. And what is the miracle that makes some businesses take off? Traction.

"Traction is quantitative evidence of customer demand." Traction is a sign your company is taking off. Once you understand what Traction is, you'll be better prepared to construct a marketing plan that works best for your company.

You should be spending 50% of your time on building your product, and the other 50% on building Traction. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text]The 19 channels for product distribution: [/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="2446" alignment="center" border_color="grey" img_link_large="" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_separator color="grey" align="align_center"][vc_column_text]Step 1: Brainstorm

Address each and every channel. Take them seriously enough to come up with a decent idea for each one. Gabriel advises, “Go for the underused channel.” The channels that your competitors aren’t using are likely less expensive, and you’re likely to find a higher conversion rate.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/3" css=".vc_custom_1430252297809{background-color: #ffffff !important;}" animation_scroll="false" animation_speed="2000"][vc_separator color="grey" align="align_center"][vc_column_text]Step 2: Rank

Then start asking the deeper questions. How good of an idea is it? How many customers could I reach through this channel? How much will it cost to acquire them? Are they the right type of customers that I want? Separate the stronger ideas from the weaker ones.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_separator][vc_column_text]Step 3: Prioritize

This is where you’ll start to focus on the channels that will most likely work best for you. Start testing them. Cheaply. Turn your theoretical numbers into real numbers. This is basic Scientific Method ya’ll. Through Trial and Error you’ll gain more insight to where your marketing budget will be best spent.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color="grey" align="align_center"][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator color="white" align="align_center"][vc_column_text]

This book reminded me one of my favorite quotes by the great Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The man is only half himself, the other half is his expression.”

And in a sense, successful businesses are only half themselves, (the product), and the other half their expression, their method of gaining Traction.

Interested in learning more? You can get the first three chapters here, and of course by the book on Amazon. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_column_text]